The Conversation
by turbomagnus
Summary: :Power Rangers Literati 9: While the Literati Rangers begin rebuilding Highway 2, Zack calls some of the old team.


Disclaimer: While I don't own the overall concept of Power Rangers, Zords, and all else that goes with it, I, along with the friends that are involved with the story, do own Power Rangers Literati itself and its own components. For those just joining us… Where have you BEEN? Aquitar?

* * *

Power Rangers Literati  
"The Conversation"  
By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"

* * *

To be honest, the last time I remember being called by my real name was the other month. I remember it real well… The officer said, "Do you know why I pulled you over, Mr… Taylor? Well, you were going fifty-three miles in a thirty-five mile zone…" If it hadn't actually happened, I'd be worried I'm picking up the same sense of humor J.T. and Amanda have.

J.T. and Amanda… and Jessica, Yolanda, Daniel and Justin… It's never really mattered to them that I'm twenty-eight and their boss, I've always just been one of them, 'Z' for short… or Mr. 'Z' if you're J.T., who loves to annoy people. The last time I felt that kind of friendship was all the way back in high school, when people still knew me as Zack Taylor. It was me, Trini, Jason, Billy and Kim, then there was Tommy when he moved to town…

Interesting fact; both groups are teams of Power Rangers.

J.T. might never know it, but it does bother me a little when I see him on the news, I might not morph anymore even though I still can, but I still think of myself as the Black Ranger… Of course, I was the same way about Tommy's latest time as a Ranger, and Danny, Carlos, and Corcus, and Adam a little before that, even though I had given him my place on the team, and even Jason since the 'Gold' Ranger suit was mostly black… It's weird, I know, but it's something about the Power, I think. It seems to make a Ranger possessive towards their color. The only times I've really ever seen a Ranger comfortable with someone else wearing their color has been in couples, I mean like Jason or Daniel in yellow, Trini in red or Amanda in blue, or J.T. wearing green while Jessica's wearing black…

Or Kim in green or white…

Enough thinking about the past, I've got work to do.

* * *

Unlocking the plastic-covered door and walking through the repaired doorway into a not-fully-repaired store, Zack groaned…

"What is it this time? Rings? Dragonball?"

"Worse," Justin said, unmorphed but with his Power Weapon in hand, leaning on the sawhorse he was cutting boards for the new counter on, and shouldering the Ragnarok, when anyone else would use a saw, it seemed he was content to just use his sword and call it good, "MASH."

"Ah," Zack nodded, that explained why Amanda was chasing J.T. with a one-by-one piece of wood, they both took that show way too seriously in his opinion.

Raising his voice, Zack spoke to his co-managers, "Hey! Don't destroy the store, you two! After all, we just started repairs."

And they had… Nine days before, Jon Maxwell, also known as the evil Dark Ranger had destroyed almost half the store in an attack on the other Rangers. The current Rangers still didn't know he was a former Ranger, but they did know that he knew they were Scenic City's Literati Rangers, and he had a feeling that at least one of them was probably suspicious after he had fought alongside them against Dark Ranger when he had attacked.

"Try to keep them from killing each other, huh, Justin?"

The unmorphed-Red Ranger scoffed, "Me, boss?"

"Hey, you're the Knight, right?"

"I don't think even that new Spirit Armor would protect me if I got between J.T. and Amanda when they're in one of their 'sibling rivalry' moods," Justin answered.

"Good point," Zack agreed, "I'll be in my office if you guys need me, okay?"

"Sure thing, Z."

Zack nodded and made his way through the charred shelves that once held books and music CDs until he reached the door to the back room and passed through it to his office. Inside, he pulled off the age-old striped windbreaker he had owned since high school and slung it over the back of his chair as he dropped into it. That's when a sticky note caught his eye, plucking it off the desk, he read it out-loud to himself.

"Call Jase and the gang, you know the number… Don't pull a Tommy and forget!"

It was probably a good thing the Dino Rangers had graduated; one word leaked to them about the fact that their science teacher, a doctor in paleontology, used to be the single most forgetful person on the planet and any respect and authority Tommy had with them would be out the window, Zack thought as he dialed.

It took several rings before someone picked up at the home of the former Red and Gold and Yellow Rangers, "Scott Residence, yeah?"

"Yes, maybe you can help me… do you have Wizard in a Tube?" Zack asked, using the old joke that had quickly developed regarding Zordon.

"Zack? That you?"

"No… It's the OTHER Black Ranger."

"Strange, your voice has changed, Adam," on the other end of the line, Jason smiled, it had been almost too long since he had talked to his old friend.

"Funny, Jase, funny," Zack grumbled.

"Sorry… It's hard to be funny at… six in the morning…"

Zack winced, "Sorry, man… Forgot about the time differences between here and Angel Grove."

"Hey, it's cool, man," Jason said, "What's up?"

Almost surprised, Zack shook his head, "You haven't paid much attention to the news since you blew up the moon, have you? Or since Tommy was in a suit again?"

"Not really, I've been busy. Why? What's up?"

"There's a new team of Rangers."

"So?"

"They're here in Scenic City."

"Oh."

"The news doesn't know this part, but six of them work at my store."

"OH! Uh, they don't…?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Seriously, not even…?"

"No, man, they don't know I'm an ex-Ranger myself!" Zack had to keep from shouting. Tommy might have been forgetful, but sometimes Jason was just thick.

"Hey, relax, Bro'! I'm just checking, you know? It seems to be getting harder and harder to keep our identities secret these days, that's all."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Jase, it's just that the store was partly destroyed last week and I'm still a little on edge… And seeing that Command Center didn't help.…"

"Wait a minute, Zack, back up… Highway 2 destroyed? And what do you mean Command Center? For one thing, the Command Center was back here in Angel Grove, and for another the Command Center and Power Chamber both were destroyed."

"Oh, yeah, forgot, I was calling you to fill you in."

"Yeah, that'll help… How about the beginning?"

"The beginning? Jason, the beginning was two years ago, man."

"Two years? I thought you said this team was new? For that matter, the Dino Rangers were the only active team two years ago… I thought."

"Beginning, man. That doesn't mean when they got the Power, it means the beginning…"

* * *

The year was 2004, the place was a Movie Gallery store in Scenic City, and Amanda was the store manager. J.T. was watching yet another news report from California on his laptop while Jessica and Amanda complained about the latest news from The Powers That Be in charge of the District and Region.

"I don't believe this!"

"What?"

"First they complain about us not meeting the metrics, then they complain because we have to work longer than they'd like so we can finish everything up at closing – which, by the way, we wouldn't need to do if they didn't keep us from having enough employees to fill all the positions like we're SUPPOSED to have – but now, they're bitching at us because of the growing number of thefts – like we can do anything when we can't catch them in the act because we have no mirrors, no cameras, not even enough people on a shift to have a rover!"

"You forgot something," J.T. tossed over his shoulder, "The fact that they're expecting us to do all of that and we all, associates, senior associates and manager still just get paid minimum wage."

"J.T…. If you hadn't made a good point, I'd complain about you ruining a perfectly good rant," Amanda commented.

"Well, I'll tell ya this," The black garbed teen said, turning down the volume on his laptop and turning to face the other two employees on shift, "If this keeps up, there's gonna be one less employee – cause I'd be outta here."

"This keeps up," Amanda countered, "We'll all be outta here…"

* * *

That Saturday…

"Well, it's happened…"

Groans passed through the other eight employees as Amanda said that.

"I just got a notice from the district manager… they're cracking down on the dress code."

Glances went around at J.T.'s leather jacket and gloves, Jessica's belt and gloves, the coats Amanda and Daniel were wearing and even the torn rock T-shirt Jon had on over his red shirt.

"Amanda, do I make idle threats?"

"Well, my parents are still alive."

"Be serious, Amanda," J.T. said, nodding slowly, "Didn't I say that if this kept up I would be gone? And hasn't it kept up?"

Taking his nametag off the clip that held it on the strap around his neck, J.T. laid it down on the counter, "I quit."

J.T. and Jessica hadn't been together as a couple long, but in that short time they had grown closer than most until you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began, so it was no surprise when she followed suit.

"Me too."

Jon shook his head, "I've put up with a lot of things to keep this job, but this is too much… I'm out, too."

His nametag joined the other two on the counter.

"I'm sorry, Mandi-chan," Daniel said, sadly, "But they're right."

He reached for his nametag and was surprised when his girlfriend did the same thing.

"I told J.T. Tuesday that we'd all be out of here, I meant it," Amanda said, removing Daniel's nametag, then her own and laying them on top of the pile, "Let's get out of here."

As the two of them followed the others out, Justin looked around the store before tossing his nametag down and going too.

Kelly and Christy, the only remaining employees looked at each other…

"Now what?"

* * *

"Okay, so they quit Movie Gallery, what's that have to do with you?"

"That was about the time I was starting Highway 2, remember? I needed employees…"

* * *

One of the things Daniel and J.T. had in common was a form of wanderlust, but while J.T.'s led him to the forests outside of town, Daniel was content to walk the sidewalks of Scenic City when it overtook him. That's why he was the first to see the new store opening in Liberty Square across from the mall, complete with Now Hiring signs.

"Highway 2? Strange name for a store…"

Even stranger was the feeling Daniel had telling him to go inside. When he listened to it, he found a store filled with boxes and shelves that were being filled with CDs, movies, video games and even books… All of that, and one hurried young African-American man he guessed to be maybe only a few years older than he was who was trying to do everything at once…

* * *

"It's not that funny, Jason," Zack complained as his friend interrupted laughing.

"Oh, yes, it is. You and hurried are two images that don't go together."

"Jase… J.T.'s Zord, it's a dragon with a serious attitude…Do you want me to feed you to it?"

"You wouldn't."

"In an Angel Grove minute, I would," Zack countered, "Anyway, back to the story…"

* * *

"Something I can do for you?"

"Uh, maybe…" Daniel said, "Is there a manager?"

"What manager?" the man laughed, "I don't even have any employees yet, so I don't have anyone to manage them, either… Zack Taylor, owner."

"Name's Daniel… ANY employees?"

"Nope, everyone's going to other stores to work, the big stores. Nobody wants to work at a little one-store place."

Daniel smiled…

* * *

"That's why, the next day, I had two people in the store interviewing for jobs for seven…"

* * *

"So you quit working at Movie Gallery… Why?"

For J.T. one of the key words was honesty…

"Money, they weren't paying us enough for what they wanted us to do. Rules, the ones regarding the dress code and clocking in and out had gotten more and more restrictive over the time we worked there…"

There was a long pause, leading Zack to speak, "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Yeah… No matter what we did, it wasn't enough, you know?"

Zack knew, he had spent a year saving the city and his social life outside the team, his grades, and even his music and martial arts had all suffered somewhat for it and he couldn't even tell anyone to get off his back, he was a Power Ranger.

"Yeah… I know. Look, I need employees, so the two of you are hired if you want the jobs, but these friends of yours need to come in, and I can't guarantee anything."

"Yes, you can," Amanda answered.

"Excuse me?"

"It's what's called a package deal, Mr. Taylor – we worked at Movie Gallery as a team, we quit there as a team… we work here as a team or we don't work here… period," J.T. explained.

A 'package deal', a team, 'All for one and one for all', like the Three Musketeers, Zack thought, actually, considering that there were seven of them, it was more like a team of Rangers plus one, when that thought crossed his mind, that was it, he was done…

"You're hired. You're ALL hired… You start Monday… One thing though, don't call me Mr. Taylor, it makes me seem old…"

* * *

"You didn't think that!"

"Yeah, man, I did…. You're right, looking back, it IS ironic."

"I didn't say that."

"Jason, I still know you and Trini, Billy and Kim and Tommy better than I know anyone else… although…"

"Although, you're getting to know this new team almost as well."

"Now who's predicting what someone will say? But yeah, I am… Of course, even then I knew that things were going to be interesting with them around."

"Anything in particular give it away?"

"Are you kidding? It took less than a week. They started on Monday and by Wednesday I knew that and who I was gonna have as manager…"

* * *

Zack walked out of the back room of the newly opened Highway 2 to see Amanda and J.T. holding someone up against the wall by their collar, not only that, but they were also holding them almost two feet off the ground.

Walking towards where they and the others were standing around their victim, he shook his head, "Mind if I ask what's going on here?"

Their voices almost didn't seem human as J.T. and Amanda simultaneously spoke, "Shoplifter."

"Oh… Carry on," Zack shrugged. One of the problems his new employees had developed with Movie Gallery was that they couldn't do anything about shoplifters, and since if Rita wasn't sending any monsters it wasn't odd to find the Power Rangers dealing with muggers and shoplifters when they needed to, so as far as he was concerned, "As long as you don't kill him and leave something to hand over to the police, anyway."

J.T.'s chuckle at those word had Zack surprised for a moment, they REALLY sounded like a growling animal or something.

* * *

"After the first couple months, we never really had any trouble with shoplifters… and we could encounter a Scenic City Police officer we'd never met before and they'd know us because the rest of the force had told them about 'that store with the crooks' worst nightmares'"

"Sound like this J.T. guy's psychotic…"

"Not really, but trust me, if you ask anyone who's tried to steal from here, they'll tell you he's the devil incarnate… He's a protective person, as I understand it, so if someone crosses those he's close to, he tries to take them apart."

Jason paused a moment and thought before he spoke, "Think we could introduce him to Katherine?"

"If he didn't do anything, Amanda would. She's not that fond of Katherine's type."

"We DEFINITELY need to introduce them."

"You've gotten vicious over the years, Jase."

"If I had known what she was trying to do, Zack, I wouldn't have agreed with her about taking Tommy to that ski resort…"

Zack scoffed, "So you made a mistake, it happens. Let's see… Kim and Tommy broke up in the first place, Leo got his brother trapped in a crevasse, Dana's father gave Ryan to Diabolico, to save his life, admittedly, but still, and Jen actually went back to the future before she realized how much Wes meant to her, Kira and Trent were on opposite sides when they first started going out, J.T. once dated a girl a lot like Katherine… It's not like it's the end of the world, man, the world goes on, the Power goes on, and we all go on."

"You've mentioned him more than a few times, why do I have this feeling that J.T.'s a real interesting person?"

"No, Justin's an interesting person… and no, he's not the Justin you're thinking of, Yolanda's an interesting person… Amanda, Daniel, J.T. and Jessica, and even Jon? Any one of them is not phone call-length conversation, more like face-to-face… Together, it'd take almost as long to tell you about them as it did you and Tommy to bring the rest of us up to date after the Moon Mission… and about as dangerous," Zack said, referring to the fact that certain Yellow and Pink Rangers, specifically Trini and Ashley in Yellow and Dana, Jen, Kendrex in Pink were ready to kill their respective boyfriends and husbands for going off on a mission and not telling them, especially since every one of them still had their powers.

After shuddering at the memory of having survived being the Red Ranger, the Gold Ranger, being captured by Divatox and sacrificed to Maligore, being evil, being helped back to good, then another mission as the Red Ranger only to almost die because of a marital disagreement, Jason started to laugh…

Almost immediately, Zack realized what his friend was thinking, "Oh, no… No. You hear me, Jason, no. N-O. No, as in no way, no how, forget it, no!"

"Oh, yes," the Red Ranger countered, starting to smile, "Someday we must meet these teenagers with attitude..."

Zack chuckled, "They're barely teenagers, Jase, Jessica turned nineteen earlier this year, catching up with J.T., and the rest are in their twenties."

"You know what I mean."

"Hmph, to paraphrase J.T., you and the Paramidus you rode in on."

"Paramidus is back on Triforia with Prince Trey again and you know it. So J.T.'s protective, take-charge, and has an attitude, let me guess, Red Ranger?"

Zack smiled, he was gonna enjoy this, "No, actually, Justin's the Red Ranger, J.T.'s the Black Ranger."

"WHAT?"

"What, just because a Red Ranger isn't leading the team your whole understanding of the universe is shattered?" he teased, "Tommy led two different teams, one as the White Ranger, the other as a Black Ranger, Delphine is a White Ranger, Jen was as much the leader of the Time Force Rangers as Wes was and she was the Pink Ranger, what's wrong with J.T. being Black Ranger and team leader?"

"Man, It's just… not what I'm used to."

"Then you'll just love hearing that Amanda, the Yellow Ranger, is the second-in-command."

"Ohhh…" Suddenly, Jason felt sympathy for Rita, because he was starting to develop a headache.

"Oh, and the Green Ranger of the team is a girl, Jessica… Not as traditional as the White Ranger being a girl thanks to Delphine and Alyssa, but at least Tori's not alone in being a female with a traditionally male color anymore."

"Ohhhhhh….."

"Oh, yeah, and you know how no active team of Rangers has had a couple who went beyond the dating stage while the team was active? Well, Daniel, the Blue Ranger proposed to Amanda a couple of days ago," by now, Zack was really enjoying destroying the order of his old friend's universe.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Jason groaned.

"Because," Zack said, "It's fun listening to you react to the changes of the times and being uncomfortable with them."

"He's right, honey," a third voice joined in, "It is fun."

"Trini, please, you're my wife, you're supposed to be on my side. 'To have and to hold,' 'forsaking all others', remember?"

"Sorry, Jason, but I was a female Ranger before I was your girlfriend, much less your wife," Trini replied, "Hi, Zack."

"Hey, T-Girl, he hasn't been going off planet without you, has he?"

"How many times do we have to remind you, NASADA was only willing to let RED Rangers go!"

"And again I say, 'Why only Red Rangers? What ten can do good, thirty and more can do better.'"

"She's got you there, Jase," Zack commented, then thought for a second, "If you did meet the Literati Rangers, you'd have Amanda and Jessica to deal with along with Trini, still want to try it?"

"Uh…"

"Watch what you say, buster, I know where you sleep and where you might be sleeping…" Trini threatened.

"What do you mean, 'Literati Rangers'?"

"Smart move, man. Doesn't really mean anything, I think. If I remember right, Literati is just referring to themselves… If they were being named after their powers, they'd probably be the Spirit Rangers or something since it's 'Spiritzords' and, for example J.T. morphs with 'Unleash that within… Dragon Spirit'. The only thing they have that's actually named Literati are their Literati Riders, which are just some dirt bikes J.T. bought cheap and they fixed up and repainted."

"Resourceful," Trini said thoughtfully.

"According to J.T., he watches a lot of 'The A-Team.'"

"And mouthy," Jason said.

"That's nothing," Zack responded, "You should hear some of the lines he tosses off in morph.

"Hey," Trini suddenly interjected, "I heard from Billy the other day… He and Cestria broke up."

"How do you two do it?"

"What do you mean, Bro?"

"First me and Angela, then Tommy and Kim, then you and Emily, then Tommy and Katherine, now Billy and Cestria, with our team's track record for relationships, it's amazing that you two are happily married."

"So? We're not the only married Rangers."

"You are from the original team, remember?"

"Second time's the charm, I guess," Jason said.

"Katherine was the 'second time'," Zack countered.

"So Tommy can't count," Jason smirked, "So, Trini, is Billy coming back to Earth?"

"You mean you didn't know about this?" Zack asked, surprised.

"Nope, first I've heard, too," Jason directed this toward Trini as much as Zack.

"Sorry, I forgot… And no 'Tommy' remarks, boys! Yes, Billy's moving back."

"Great, I haven't seen him in almost a decade!" Jason exclaimed.

"Forget you, I haven't seen him in a dozen years, not since we left for the Youth Peace Conference, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Jason replied, "Sometimes I wished I could use my Blade Blaster on some of the other delegates…"

"Huh…"

"What?"

"I just thought of something, I've seen the new Rangers morphed, they carry blasters, but it's been a month since they first appeared and in all that time they haven't used them."

"Everything you've said they've done has happened in ONLY a month," Jason was shocked.

"Hey, it's not like the old days when weeks could pass between a Rita attack, some of these new villains, the Rangers they face are lucky if A week passes between attacks," There was a loud crash out in the main store that Jason and Trini could hear over the phone and Zack winced, "Or between Ranger teammates trying to kill each other… I better go make sure Scenic City doesn't end up short any Rangers… I'll call you guys again later, okay?"

"'Okay'?" Trini said, "If you don't, you'll be in big trouble, buster!"

"Thanks, T… Jase, take care guys."

"Hey, Bro," Jason said, "May the Power protect you."

"Thanks, Bro," Zack said before muttering, "With those two, I may need it…"


End file.
